Tirumala temple official Dollar Seshadri dies of cardiac arrest at Visakhapatnam

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) officer on special duty (OSD) Dollar Seshadri died in Vishakhapatnam on Monday (November 29) morning after a cardiac arrest.

Seshadri, who joined the TTD in 1978, continued to serve the temple as an OSD after his retirement in 2007.

“It is an irreparable loss to the TTD as Dollar Seshadri Swamy has been rendering invaluable services to the Tirumala temple even after his retirement in 2007 till his last breath. I express my heartfelt condolences to his family for their personal loss. TTD is making all arrangements for shifting his mortal remains to Tirupati where his final rites will be performed with appropriate honours,” TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy said.

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Seshadri played a key role in the Andhra Pradesh government’s abolition of the hereditary archakas-potu mirasis systems (hereditary rights of Mirasi Archakas to serve the deity) at the Tirumala temple in 1996 after a long legal battle.

Seshadri was forced to quit and stay away from the Tirumala temple for a while after the gold dollars scam rocked the TTD, but later rejoined the shrine after the local court acquitted him in the case and he went on to serve the temple till his death.

TTD sources said that Seshadri had gone to Visakhapatnam to attend Karthika Deepotsavam festivities.

The mortal remains of Seshadri are being brought to Tirupati where his final rites will be performed.